The present invention relates generally to a bumper apparatus for a patient support or hospital bed. More particularly, the present invention relates to a bumper apparatus for a hospital bed which reduces the likelihood of damage to a wall, a bed locator, or equipment as a patient support platform of the bed moves between an elevated position and a lowered position.
A patient in a healthcare facility typically resides in a patient support, usually a bed, for a portion of his or her stay. In order to allow the patient to be easily moved about the healthcare facility, beds have been designed with wheels or casters. Many hospital beds have medical devices, electronic or otherwise, installed in them. These devices often require a power source to operate and, as such, the device and the bed housing the device are typically placed near a power source, usually housed in a wall. The wall often also has outlets for gasses, vacuums, monitors, and call buttons that may be of use to the patient, need to be accessible to the patient, or need to be attached to the patient. Therefore, it is often desirable or convenient to locate the bed as near to the wall as possible.
Once a bed is positioned in a room, it is often necessary to adjust the height of a support platform on which the patient is situated. For instance, the platform may be elevated for a particular examination or procedure and then lowered to facilitate the patient getting onto or off of the platform. In certain bed models, vertical movement of the support platform by a hi/lo or lifting mechanism is also accompanied by horizontal movement of the platform toward and away from the wall. If the bed is located too close to the wall, such horizontal movement due to a change in elevation of the platform may cause damage to the wall, the bed, or to medical equipment.
According to the present invention, a bumper apparatus for a patient support, or bed, includes an elongated body pivotably coupled to the bed, and a biasing mechanism coupled to the elongated body. The biasing mechanism is configured to align a longitudinal axis of the elongated body in a generally horizontal position extending away from the bed. The elongated body is configured to provide adequate spacing between the bed and the wall or other fixed items to reduce the likelihood of damage to the wall, bed locator, or equipment as a patient support platform of the bed is moved between an elevated position and a lowered position.
In the illustrated embodiment, the bed includes a base, a support platform configured to support a patient, and a lifting mechanism configured to move the support platform vertically relative to the base between a first or elevated position and a second or lowered position. The support platform also moves horizontally relative to the base by a predetermined horizontal distance as the platform moves between the elevated position and the lowered position. The body of the bumper apparatus is pivotably coupled to the support platform.
The illustrated body includes a nose surface configured to engage a wall. The body is configured to pivot in a first direction relative to the bed when the body is engaged with the wall and when the support platform of the bed is moved to the elevated position. The body pivots in a second direction relative to the bed when the body is engaged with the wall and when the support platform of the bed is moved to the lowered position.
In the illustrated embodiment, the body further includes a back surface positioned opposite the nose surface. The body is pivotably coupled to the support platform about a pivot axis which is closer to the back surface than the nose surface. In an illustrated embodiment, a distance from the nose surface to the pivot axis minus a distance from pivot axis to the back surface is greater than or equal to the predetermined horizontal distance of the support platform as the platform moves between the elevated position and the lowered position.
Additional features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.